People who don't have their kids in carseats or seat belts!

[twinmama]

Why do people do this? Today at a stoplight, I saw a little girl completely unrestrained in the front seat of the Mercedes SUV next to us. She couldn't have been more than 6 or 7 and she was sitting right next to the dashboard with her back against the window. Her mom looked over at me and smiled and I glared back.

What do you do when you see something like that? I thought of getting the license plate number and giving it to the police, but would they even do anything? Argh, this just makes me so mad. X(

-Lisa

[s_gosney]

Pre-baby, I worked as a bank teller and we saw this ALL the time. And much smaller children than you're describing too. I often thought about calling the police, but never did. It makes me mad too, but I don't know what the answer is.

[BethS]

This drives me crazy and makes me so sad.

I think one reason people do this is because their child resists the seatbelt/carseat. Rather than being firm as the parent, mom or dad just gives in. Maybe not but that's my guess. So many parents have totally given control over to the child in many other areas so it wouldn't surprise me if they do it this area as well.

[dogmom]

In our state all children under 12 need to be properly restrained, and cops can pull you over for it. I write down the license plate and call the cops. I've also said things to people when I can, usually pointing out I used to work at an organ bank and have seen too many dead kids. Usually people just got pissed off at me. I rely more on the call the cops method now since my DH made me promise not to get into an altercation. Of course my DH calls me a seatbelt Nazi. I think people should have their kids taken away for not restraining them properly, it's neglect. But, once again, I'm extreme. Don't ever ask me what I think about Princess Diana.

Jeanne
Mom to Harvey
1/16/03

[sntm]

drives me crazy, too! DH rants about it all the time. In Virginia it is under 70 lbs or under 7 years old has to be in the backseat in a carseat or booster.

on a related note, one of the moms in my daycare (who is a family practice attending!!!!) has her baby frontfacing already! his birthdate was in late july so he's not even 9 months old yet! i was flabbergasted. i wanted to say something, but chickened out (since she is an attending. :() have considered being P/A and posting a reminder on the door of the daycare of the current recs -- anyone know of one that looks official and not like I did it myself?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03

[mommd]

Here is a chart with the current recs:

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/childps/

[McQ]

Drives me nuts too. I once saw this woman come to a stop at a light and her rear facing seat tipped over (towards the seat) with her kid in it!!! She got out of the car and propped the seat back up. I was speachless!

Allison
~ mommy to Declan 3.24.03
and number 2 EDD 9.14.04

[tinkerbell1217]

Thats a MAJOR pet peeve of mine too. I just do NOT understand it!!!! Especially when I see the driver or the adults buckled in and NOT the kids!!! I have been a stoplights and seen kids unbuckle their car seats and the parents don't do a thing! Or people holding small babies in their arms while driving or sitting in the car's passenger side. WTF!!! Makes me very mad too!!!


Kelly

[susank333]

My husband just saw an unrestrained baby the other day. I asked him if he got the license plate number, but of course he is not the "activist" type. If I ever see it I will call the police. It won't hurt to call!
Mommy of Clint (10-10-00) and Ellie (7-3-03)

[juliekost]

This is my pet peeve...I really think the laws are too loose to begin with anyway.

Last month on the news at 18 month old baby was killed in a minor accident because of not being belted in a car seat. The local media gave the facts about the accident and the fact that the child was unrestrained even thought there was a car seat in the car. The lack of the child being restrained was more of a footnote to the story. The police were debating on pressing charges against the father.

I was shocked that there was even a debate on charges against the parent and more so that the media didn't use this tragic example to educate the public. I am sympathic to the father's loss, I couldn't imagine the guilt he must be feeling...so maybe that explains no charges.

Julie K.
Jake 11/9/98
Jordyn 12/31/02

[deborah_r]

OK, I am now dying to know what you think about Princess Diana!

And LOL at promising DH not to get into altercations! It'sa good to be passionate about these things -someone has to be!!

[barbarhow]

Maine requires carseats/boosters for all children and seatbelts for all adults. I see far fewer unrestrained kids than I used to since they passed the law. I am fairly militant about it, though, and I think that any parent traveling with an unrestrained child should be charged with reckless endangerment. Makes me nuts. As a former ER nurse I have seen the difference that a seatbaelt makes-for kids as well as adults. People just don't get it.
It is amusing to me that people are in such a hurry to switch their children to front facing. The child doesn't know the difference. If they have only ever rearfaced-they hardly know what they are missing. I also think that as the child gets older and resists-it is the parents fault to not enforce it. Come on! You are the parent.
Barbara-mom to Jack 3/27/03